Concert

Name: M. Asinoff

Course: 20th Century Music

Date: April 25, 1994

Concert: The Sounds of Talujon Percussion Quartet.

Type of concert: Percussion Quartet (April 21, 1994).

General reaction: I felt that the Amphitheater was cozy and provided excellent acoustics. It also provided such good visibility of the band that every seat was good. It was much better than if they had performed across the street at the Klitkord Auditorium, as it would have been too big and many people would have had to sit too far away to enjoy the concert.

Composition I liked best: I especially enjoyed the sixth piece, Boren Baum, by The Brazilian Slaves, as it was used to help them study Martial Arts in the fields 500 years ago. It was a unique and interesting variation upon a one gong theme. They used a Nut Shell Rattle filled with peas for a very unique musical sound effect. The music performed was totally different from anything I ever heard before. I could not even begin to compare it with anything other kind of music. The performance was totally improvised and the band probably could not even recreate it again even if they wanted to. They must work very, very, hard to not only express themselves as individuals, but to then blend their individuality into a cohesive form which is twice as demanding. Yet, they not only manage to do this they also manage to make it look easy. In my humble opinion that is definitely the mark of truly good artists.

The work and value of an artist: Boren Boren was very interesting, different and unusual, but made a good conclusion as it was somewhat upbeat. I especially appreciated the fact that they use their individuality and explored their talents as individuals first and as a group second. It is great to be able to do that. Unfortunately, the Beatles split because they were unable to explore their talent individually. Creative differences can very easily drive a wedge between a group. Being part of a group can stifle an artist's creativity. The freedom to explore enables an artist to mold, shape, hone and express themselves and their soul. That is what being an artist is all about. It is a not a job, or even a career. Unlike the United States Navy, it is more than an adventure. Being an artist is a labor of love that cannot be compared with anything else in life, nor can we measure their creativity in terms of money, or anything. It gives life a meaning and sense of purpose that nourishes the soul. I know because I am an artist. I am a writer. I paint a picture using words as a paintbrush to express my thought and feelings the way musicians use music to express themselves.


Overall performance: I thought they were very professional. They took the time out to explain things like the eight kinds of drums and "found instruments" like the empty metal food cans, aluminum pot and cow bell they used in their act. They were very nice and helped to dispel the old adage that all artists are temperamental. They even took time out between sets to spell out the names of some of the many different types of instruments they used in their performance and the story of how each set was created. They did not complain about having to repeat themselves for the people who did not write it down the first time. They explained how and why they used instruments like the Bongo, Djembe, Tom- Tom, Hadgedin and Clay drums. I thought the seven planks of wood and different metal pipes also produced some unique sounds. I liked the plastic water cooler jug, the Chinese wooden blocks and the various sounds that the Copper and Aluminum pipes produced too.